Fly catcher



Jan. 28, 1930. R. J. HARRIS 1,744,762

FLY CATCHER Filed Jan. 10, 1928 Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES nane PATENT QFFICE RAYMOND J. HARRIS, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA FLY CATGHER This invention relates to a fly catcher and it consists in the novel features hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of the invention is to provide a fly catcher of simple and durable structure and including an impounding chamber mounted upon a handle member, the said impounding chamber being open at one side to form an entrance or vestibule for the flies 0 and open at its opposite side and having a wire screen disposed thereover to provide means for permitting air to escape from the impounding chamber, and to provide means for retaining flies within the chamber.

A further object of the invention is to provide a handle member having end portions or branches adapted to be disposed longitudinally of the impounding chamber and retained in the end walls thereof, the said handle member serving as means for supporting inclined panels disposed at the entrance opening of the impounding chamber, there being a door hingedly connected with one of the said panels and adapted to rest at its free edge against the edge of the other panel so that the door is maintained in an inclined position when the impounding chamber is in position to be used and the door is held closed against the lower panel. When the handle member is grasped and the impounding chamber is moved toward the fly, the

free edge ofthe door is swung by the force of the air entering the impounding chamber between the panels and also by centrifugal force so that an entrance opening is made between the inclined panels for the fly and the air and the fly is received within the impounding chamber. lVhen the movement of the impounding chamber ceases, the door falls by gravity and the fly is trapped or caught. One side portion of the screen serves as means for limiting the swinging move ment of the door. Vhen it is desired to remove the fly or flies from the impounding chamber the said chamber is turned by using the handle so that the door swings to an open position and servesas a chute for directing the flies out of the impounding chamber. It is, of course to be understood that the flies are not removed from the impounding chamher until such time as they are incapacitated from flying or dead.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a top plan view of the fly catcher;

Figure 2 is a side elevational View thereof; Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view thereof cut on the line 33 of Figure 1 and showing the parts in position when the device is used for catchingflies;

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the position of the parts after the impounding chamber has been returned to dump the flies;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view of the impounding chamber cut across a corner portion thereof.

The fly catcher comprises a handle member 1 formed from wire and which is bent upon itself at a point approximately midway between its ends and brought together at 2 and secured in any suitable manner to form a shank. From the said shank portion the opposite sides of the wire are extended outwardly as at 3 and then forwardly as at 4:, the said forwardly extending portions 4: being provided at their extremities with return bends or hooks 5.

The fly catcher also includes an impounding chamber having side walls 6 and end walls 7 The rear edges of the end walls 7 are peaked as at 8 and a wire screen 9 is disposed over the rear edges of the side walls 6 and the end walls 7 and secured to the said walls in any suitable manner whereby the screen is substantially in the form of a trough having angularly disposed side portions, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing. The forward side of the impounding chamher is open and inclined panels 10 and 11 are disposed within the chamber and converge toward each other from the opposite edges of the open side of the chamber. The panel 11 is broader transversely than the panel 10. A door panel12 is hingedly connected by means of a flexible strip 13 or its equivalent with the narrower panel 10 and the free edge portion of the door panel 12 is adapted'to rest against the inner edge of the broader panel 11 when the parts are in the position as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. The broader panel 11 is less in length than the length of the impounding chamber so that ample clearance space is provided to permit the door panel 12 to swing freely without binding against the inner surfaces of the end walls of the said chamber. The hooks 5 engage the edges of the panels 11 and hold them locked in position.

The end panels 7 are provided with slots 14 through which the portions 4 of the handle member 1 are passed and the hooks 5 are rcceived in the slots 14 at one end of the impounding chamber. The inner surfaces of the panels 10 and 11 rest directly against the sides of the portions 4L of the handle member 1 and the edges of the panels 10 and 11 at one end thereof are caught under the hooks 5 as best shown in Figure 5 of the drawing, and thus the panels 10 and 11 are retained in proper position with relation to each other and the portions 4 of the handle member brace the inner portions of the said panels and the panels hold the handle member against longitudinal movement with relation to the im ounding chamber.

hen t 1e device is used for catching flies, whether they be in the air or upon surfaces, the parts are in the position as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. The handle member is grasped and a stroke is made which carries the impounding chamber toward the fly or flies. The volume of air which surrounds the fly or flies passes between the panels 10 and 11 and strikes the door panel 12 and serves to swing the same to an open position. At the same time, the centrifugal force incident tothe movement of the impounding chamber further assists in swinging the door. Thus the volume of air which surrounds the fly or flies passes between the panels 10 and 11 and under the lower edge of the door and enters the impounding chamber. The fly or flies are carried with the said volume of air and enter the impounding chamber. The fly or flies will strike against the screen 9 while the volume of air passes through the interstices or openings of the screen. hen the forward movement of the impounding chamber is stopped, the door panel 12 falls by gravity and the fly or flies are trapped within the impounding chamber. The movement of the closing of the door is speeded by the impetus or momentum imparted to the free edge thereof when the impounding chamber comes to a state of rest so that the door closes promptly as hereinbefore stated.

After the flies have been caught in the trap they may be killed by exposing them to heat. This may be done by presenting the impounding chamber to a flame or by placing the same at an exposed position in the sun.

After the flies are dead and when it is desired to dump them from the impounding chamber the handle member 1 is used for turning the impounding chamber so that the parts assume the position as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing. Thus the flies will fall over the upper portion of the impounding chamber upon the outer surface of the door panel 12 which will then serve as a chute and direct the flies out of the impounding chamber over the surface of the panel 10.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that a fly catcher of simple and durable structure is provided, that the same may be economically manufactured and the parts assembled and that the parts mutually co-operate with each other to strengthen the structure and to maintain themselves in proper relation with respect to each other.

It is to be understood that the catcher may be used to advantage for catching all manner of insects that fly in the air, as for instance, mosquitoes, bees, or similar flying insects.

'Having described the invention what is claimed is 1. An insect catcher comprising an impounding chamber open at opposite sides, a screen disposed over one side, inclined panels located in the chamber and extending from the edges of the sides, a door panel hingedly connected with one of the inclined panels, and a handle member having spaced branches passing through the ends of the impounding chamber and having locking hooks engaging the edges of the inclined panels.

2. An insect catcher comprising an impounding chamber open at opposite sides, a screen disposed over one side, inclined panels located within the chamber and extending from the edges of the opposite sides, one of the panels being broader transversely than the other, a door panel hingedly connected with the narrower panel and adapted to have its free edge engage the edge of the broader panel, and a handle having spaced end portions passing through the ends of the impounding chamber and disposed along the inclined panels and having locking hooks engaged around the edges of the inclined panels.

3. An insect catcher comprising an impounding chamber open at opposite sides, a screen disposed over one side, inclined panels located in the chamber and extending from the edges of the opposite side, a door panel hingedly connected with one of the inclined panels and adapted to engage the edge of the other inclined panel. a handle member provided with spaced end portions, said end portions passing through the end walls of the impounding chamber, and having means for locking engagement with the inclined panels.

4. An insect catcher comprising an impounding chamber open at opposite sides, said chambed having end walls provided with edges having angularly disposed portions, a screen disposed over the angularly disposed edge portions of the end walls, inclined panels located interiorly of the impounding chamher and extending from the edges of the opposite side thereof, a door panel hingedly connected with one of the inclined panels and adapted to engage the other inclined panel, and a handle member having spaced end portions passing through the end Walls of the impounding chamber and extending along the sides of the inclined panels, said end portions of the handle member being provided at their extremities with looking hooks engaging around the end portions of the inclined panels.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RAYMOND J HARRIS. 

